Rescue Me
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: A young car takes refuge in Radiator Springs after an accident. Despite her inability to speak, she quickly finds her place there. But the more the residents of the town get to know about her, they realize she needs to be rescued from more than a wreck.
1. Headlights

Disclaimer: I only own Aurora.

Author's note: My first attempt at a _Cars_ story. Hope it's okay…

_Chapter 1: Headlights_

"Sheriff…"

Indistinct mumbling.

A grin from the red racecar.

"Sheriff!"

The police car jerked awake, eyes quickly opening as he backed up a few inches in surprise. "I wasn't sleeping! I was just… resting my eyes!" He turned to see the red #95 behind him, his eyes narrowing. "I should have known it was you, McQueen! For goodness sakes, boy; turn off your headlights- you'll give me away."

Lightning smiled good-naturedly as he obeyed, extinguishing his new headlights. "Doc sent me down to see how you're doing. Wants to make sure his repairs are holding up." Actually, he suspected that the older racecar had sent him to keep him busy, and simultaneously keep the Sheriff awake. Either way, it gave him something to do besides hanging out with Sally or Mater. Not that there was anything wrong with either of those.

"I'm just fine; Doc knows what he's doing," he grumped, his nap being disturbed.

"So, how's the traffic tonight?" he asked, peering down the dark road.

"Pretty slow. I thought your being here was supposed to bring in folks, not ward 'em off." The black and white vehicle returned to his post right behind the billboard.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I convinced Dale Earncar Junior to meet me at Flo's. His fans will come by the herd when they find out. And I think Tony Stewcart wanted to come check out Luigi's."

A grunt was the only reply he got. The Sheriff wasn't much of a racing fan.

Silence fell between them, and Lightning let his eyes drift along the ditch as he listened to the crickets. It was a fairly warm night, completely cloudless with innumerable stars overhead. A slight breeze made the sparse grasses wave. It was on nights like these he could imagine him and Sally sitting together on the cliff overlooking the valley, watching the moonlight play over the land formations, him scooting just a little bit closer to her when she wasn't looking-

Lights on the road ahead of them snapped him out of his pondering, the sound of a struggling engine becoming nearer. The lights came closer increasingly slower, beginning to dim.

"Must be drowsy," Sheriff murmured.

Soon the lights stopped advancing and were turned completely off. The engine killed.

This concerned the police car. He knew from experience that the engine usually stayed on when a car fell asleep on the road. Something was wrong.

"Something's not right…" Turning on his headlights, Sheriff pulled out and headed towards the car. Lightning followed.

It was a stunned silence that came over them as they both stopped, side by side, their headlights trained on the scene before them.

A Camry sat low on her tires, her eyes closed. She looked young- too young to be out on her own; perhaps fourteen. Judging by the numerous deep dents and almost crushed in roof, she had been in an accident and had rolled at least once. Oil dripped at a slow pace underneath her, leaving a sporadic trail behind her. Multiple scratches- some small, some huge- marred her pale paint. The largest one ran at an angle down her dented hood, taking off half the color. Lightning turned towards the direction she had come, lighting the trail of oil. It disappeared in the distance. She had gone quite a distance in this shape.

The police car rolled closer, gently nudging the unresponsive car. "Hey, kid! Can you hear me?"

A dull, unfocused eye cracked open. She didn't even seem to register his presence in the three seconds that passed before the eye closed again.

"Lightning!"

The racecar quickly turned towards Sheriff.

"Use that speed of yours- get back to town, send Mater, and let Doc know. We're gonna have to bring her right to him."

With a nod he took off, heading back full-speed to Radiator Springs.

_A short time later…_

"MATER!"

The tow truck in question looked up from his order Flo had just served him to see his best friend racing down the street towards him. He could tell from his expression that the reason he was coming was urgent and unpleasant. A bit worried, he set his drink aside and rolled forward. "Hey buddy; wut's goin' on?"

The racecar stopped in front of the café. "Sheriff and I found someone out near his post; she's unconscious and we need you to take her to Doc's!"

He straightened on his wheels. "I'm on mah way!" Looking towards Flo he nodded at his order. "I'll be back fer this." With that he sped off, going as fast as he could.

Flo glanced worriedly at Ramone, who sat nearby, before hurrying over towards Lightning. "What's going on?" she asked as her husband rolled up beside her.

"I'll explain later," he promised. "Right now I need to find Doc!" He drove off again, and the married couple watched him go, concerned.

It took him about ten seconds to near Doc's place, finding the lights on.

"DOC!"

The door opened as he pulled up, the dark blue racer coming out. He could tell it was serious by the tone of the younger car's voice and by the look in his eyes as he pulled up. He felt a rock of dread grow in his gas tank. Experience told him this wouldn't be good.

"What's wrong?"

He hurried into his explanation, beginning to lose his breath from all the running and talking he was doing. "Sheriff and I found a car near his post; looks like she was in an accident… I just sent Mater out to bring her to you!"

Doc opened the door and held it open. He knew that the younger racecar didn't handle panic well- what with how he reacted when he thought Sheriff was shooting at him- and knew that it would be best for him to take control of the situation… Starting with calming down Lightning. "Why don't you come on in and explain everything while I get my tools."

_The next morning…_

Azure eyes cracked open, squinting in the bright light. It took a few seconds for them to adjust. She ached everywhere. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was going down the road…

She felt a sudden stab of panic.

Where was _he_?

"Hey… How do you feel?"

The voice was female. And sounded gentle and concerned. Was he not here?…

Opening her eyes further, she found herself surrounded by five adult cars. One was an older dark blue car with wise blue eyes- he looked slightly familiar, but she couldn't remember where. Next to him was a police car about the same age. Next in line was an old, rusty tow truck; he looked rather goofy, with his hood missing and huge buckteeth. On the other side of the truck stood a younger, sleek red car that looked like he could be a racer- he had the number 95 on him in several places and what looked like a giant sticker of "Rust-eze Bumper Ointment" on his hood- and, like the dark blue car, he looked a bit familiar. Finally, at the other end of the line, was the only woman of the group- she was a pretty, sort of metallic light blue in color. All five of them were smiling at her gently. It freaked her out a little bit, but at the same time it reassured her.

She looked around. She was apparently in a garage; she was on a lift, but it had been lowered to the floor.

He was nowhere in sight.

She carefully rolled off the lift, stopping when the dark blue car spoke.

"You'll have to move slowly for a while," he cautioned. "You probably won't be able to do much traveling for a few days."

She blinked at him.

"My name is Doc Hudson, but most people call me Doc."

Accepting this, she looked at the others.

The tow truck was the first to speak. "Howdy! I'm Mater- like Tow-Mater!"

The red car beside him was next. "I'm Lightning McQueen. Sheriff-" he nodded towards the police car, "- and I were the ones that found you last night."

McQueen? That sounded familiar. Perhaps he was a famous racecar? She had always been compared to one; maybe this was him. But how did he find her when she was in the middle of nowhere?

"I'm Sally," introduced the female car. "I run the Cozy Cone Motel here in Radiator Springs. You're welcome to stay as long as you need while you recover."

She looked over each of them. Doc Hudson, Sheriff, Mater, Lightning McQueen, and Sally. And she was in someplace called Radiator Springs. Right. Maybe she was dreaming?

Sheriff suddenly spoke. "I'll need your name for the records."

She blinked at him, then looked around. No writing materials. This would be harder than she first thought. Turning back to the group, she half-shrugged- even that brought a sharp pain to her chassis.

Mater looked concerned. "Can't y' remember?"

She nodded, slowly.

Doc's eyes narrowed slightly in care and thought. "You can't talk, can you?"

Her eyes dropped to the floor and she shook her head. He had always used that as ammunition against her whenever he went on another one of his tirades. She almost expected the same from these strangers; she was so used to it.

"Poor thing…"

It was pure surprise at the tone that made her look up at Sally. Was that… sympathy?

"I'm sure we'll find some way to understand what you want to say," encouraged the racecar.

Mater suddenly grinned. "I know! Why dontcha just write down what y' want ta say? That way we can read it an' stuff!"

The other four brightened to varying degrees. "Great idea, Mater!" agreed Sally. "I can take her down to the Cozy Cone and get her a notepad."

"An' me an' Lightnin' can tell Ramone an' Flo she's here; since she'll need ta eat an' get her paint fixed."

"Give her a day or two before she does anything too exciting," reminded Doc. "She'll be sore where the dents were, so it'd be best to wait a little while for the paint."

This didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm that had settled over the group. Sally backed up and drove around the group to pull up beside her. "Come on; let's get you settled in and find something you can write with."

_At the Cozy Cone…_

The drive down to the motel usually didn't take long, but it took Sally and the new girl almost twice as long to get there, since the injured vehicle had to move slower. Once they finally arrived the Porsche ran into her office, coming out with a notepad and pen attachment.

"Left or right?" she asked.

She raised her right tire.

The elder car attached the pen to the hub of the wheel and held the notepad for her as she wrote. Once she was done she rolled back a bit and let Sally read it.

_Aurora._

"Aurora?" she asked, not comprehending.

The Camry rolled forward again.

_That's my name._

"Oh! Aurora. That's pretty."

She shyly scuffed the pavement beneath her left front tire.

Sally smiled. She would have to introduce her to Red sometime. They'd get along great. "When you're ready to turn in for the night, I have cone number two all set up for you. Just let me know and I'll open it for you. For now, how about a trip to Flo's? She serves some great fuel!"

A slight nod with eager eyes was the response. Poor kid must have been starving; who knew how long ago her last stop was before her accident.

As they set out, Sally couldn't help but to remember back to when she had first come to Radiator Springs. She had been lost, hungry, hurt, and a little bit frightened. But the folks in the small town took care of her- they fixed her up, gave her some fuel, and found her a place to stay. They made her feel welcome and accepted; it was for those reasons she had decided to stay permanently. She had wanted to make sure that everyone that came to the sleepy town got the same treatment- that they felt taken care of.

Who knows; perhaps Aurora would end up making the same choice. Once she grew up, of course.

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: That's it for this chapter. Let me know what you think; I'll try to crank out another one as fast as I can.

And Tony Stewcart? Eh; what can I say. -waves "GO TONY GO" flag-


	2. Visitors

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone that was in the movie.

Author's note: Hugs to The Hudson Hornet for her help with this chapter. I was off my game for a while there after a near-fatal collision with the Wall of Writer's Block, but she managed to pull me out of it. It might take me a little bit to get back to speed though. Anywho, enjoy.

_Chapter Two: Visitors_

_Dusk had already settled on the mostly-deserted Route 66, the sky fading from bright yellow in the west to dark blue in the east. The sun sunk lower beneath the sand-covered horizon, sending the sky into a dark, quiet abyss. Two pairs of headlights followed the meandering road, a larger car driving in front of the smaller. They had been driving for a long time- since the night before- and they were beginning to drift off. The lead car suddenly jerked awake, opening his eyes completely and grumbling sleepily. The other said nothing; her eyes barely open enough to watch the road. Soon the older car's eyes began to close again, weariness beginning to take its toll._

_A short distance behind them, the rumble of several vehicles became audible, four headlights approaching quickly._

_In the present:_

The roar of the engine grew louder as dirt flew, the car flying sideways along the turn of the track as he continued to pick up speed. A massive dust cloud appeared, the ground being kicked up by the rotating tires. There was a flash of red as the figure rushed forward, flying over the start/finish rope on the track and sliding to a halt. As the dirt and smoke settled, Lightning breathed deeply and grinned at the lone figure at the top of the hill.

Aurora watched as he took off again, creating yet another dust cloud. It was her second day in Radiator Springs, and the racer of the town had offered to let her watch him run a few laps. He had said he did it to keep himself from getting out of shape during the off season, but judging by the eye roll Sally gave him, he was really doing it just to show off.

Aurora had never really been interested in racing- driving around in a circle never was her idea of "fun". She herself liked the idea of turning right every once in a while- but she had to admit the trick for going around dirt corners without sliding out of control would be a handy thing to know. Maybe he would be willing to teach her after she was completely recovered.

If Doc deemed her well enough, of course.

It was something she was beginning to appreciate about the small town. Everyone there seemed to care about her. Even the hippie-bus Fillmore and his military neighbor Sarge had shown an interest in her well being- Sarge's "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" may not have seemed very concerned, but it's the thought that counts, she supposed. Doc, being the town judge and doctor, seemed to watch over everyone. It made her feel safe, knowing that everyone was looking out for one another.

As lost in her thoughts as she was, she didn't hear another car approach until they parked beside her.

"Hey there 'Aura."

_Flo's perspective…_

Lighting was showing off again- old habits die hard, she guessed. This time it was in front of Aurora, the only other car in town that hasn't seen him race. She sighed heavily.

"It's best to let him get it out of his system, I suppose." She returned her attention to the younger car beside her. She and Ramone had been concerned when they learned she was found alone. Then again, so were Doc and Sheriff. They had given her a day to recover from the mental shock of the crash; perhaps it was time to "test the waters", so to speak.

"So, how do you feel Hun?"

A few moments of writing followed.

_A little sore still, but okay._

Aurora's apparent muteness was another issue to be addressed later on; but only one mystery at a time. For now, details on her accident would do. She gently nudged the smaller vehicle beside her, careful to avoid the areas where the paint had been roughly scraped off. "Do you remember anything about your crash? Lights? Sounds? Smells?"

The Camry paused before she began to write.

_Not much. Some tires squealing, loud engines, and metal being crushed. I think there was some loud music too, but I'm not really sure. I was almost asleep when it happened._

This concerned the show car greatly. The tires and metal were probably the accident; but the loud music? That couldn't have been coming from her if she had been asleep on the road; the loud sound would have helped to keep her awake. So there was probably an instigator to the whole thing. But that still didn't give her all she had wanted to know. "Why were you out on the road by yourself? You seem awfully young to be driving alone…"

A momentary pause as she wrote.

_I wasn't._

Flo felt her engine sink. She hadn't been alone in the crash, but they had found only her. This couldn't be good. She suddenly didn't want to know the answer to the question that had to be asked, but Sheriff would need to know. "Wh-who were you with…?"

The next words were written painfully slow.

_My father._

Oh no.

She felt horrified. How could she tell the young car? The poor kid would be crushed when she found out; possibly destroying the trust that they had been building for the past day and a half. Being young, she would probably try to find someone to blame. Sheriff? Most likely. Doc? Why not. Herself? It's possible. The teenage mind was unpredictable- she knew that from experience. But there was no easy way to break this to her.

"'Aura, sweetie…" She hesitated, trying her hardest to find the words that would make this easier on her new friend. "When Sheriff and Mater went back to where they found you, they followed the trail of oil you left. The only thing they found at the crash site was a large puddle of oil. They thought it came from you, but now that we know there was someone else involved…"

She didn't say it, but it was implied. Aurora's father could very well be in some hospital, dead or dying without her there beside him. Maybe even thinking the same of his daughter.

The smaller car shivered as she sunk closer to the ground, blindly watching the racing car below. She leaned against the older car, whimpering quietly. Flo felt her engine ache. The poor girl; she must feel more alone now than ever…

She gently nuzzled the distraught Camry. "Hey; you're always welcome here in Radiator Springs. We can take care of you while he recovers," she added, in hopes of cheering her up at little, or at least shedding a positive light on the situation. It didn't seem to work.

_ Later, in town…_

"I don't think that's a good idea, Mater."

"Common Lightnin'! It could be her 'nitiation inta Radiator Springs! She's gunna luuuv it!"

Doc and Sheriff, both parked in front of the impound lot, watched as the pair of troublemakers drove by. Usually when the racecar and the tow truck got together like that they were planning some sort of mischief. The two elders really didn't want to know- they had other things to think about.

"Are you still investigating Aurora's accident, Sheriff?"

A nod. "According to Flo, she was with her father when she crashed. So at some point they were separated- we picked her up and someone else found her father. I can send word to the nearest town to be on the lookout for an injured car looking for her this afternoon and it would probably get there tomorrow-"

"Let's not do that just yet," Doc interrupted thoughtfully.

The police car visibly started, his eyes widening. "What? Why?"

Blue eyes shifted to his right, watching Mater and Lighting with Aurora. The tow truck was retelling, in a rather animated fashion, how he met the racecar, who was offering corrections to the story as they were needed, which seemed more often than not.

"I get the feeling there's more to this case than there seems. There's something else going on; something that just doesn't sit right with me. There's no physical reason why the girl shouldn't be able to talk, and she seems fully capable mentally. There has to be another reason."

"So should I question her first?" Sheriff wasn't sure what good it would do though.

"You know how the young are these days," Doc responded as he returned his gaze to Sheriff. "They don't like to answer questions unless it's someone they trust. Give her some time to warm up to the town. I'm sure she'll explain when she's ready."

The old police cruiser nodded. Doc was a wise old car- one of the reasons he was the town judge- and if he thought there was something shady about the situation, he was inclined to believe him. "I'll be listening for updates until then."

A blaring horn suddenly echoed through the town, attracting everyone's attention. Curious, Mater and Lightning hurried off to investigate, while Aurora followed at a more sedate pace.

A large red semi came rolling in, stopping in front of Flo's. Lightning drove up, beaming. It had been a while since he had seen his friend- the last time had been when he hauled him from the big Piston Cup race to Radiator Springs.

"Mack!"

"Hey! Lighting! How ya been lil' buddy?"

"Why are you here? I thought you went on vacation!"

The rig shrugged. "Well, there's only so many places a guy like me hasn't seen yet, with all the traveling I do. What about you? Done anything interesting while Ol' Mack was away?"

"Nah, I've just been hanging out; ya know, waiting for tourists and stuff. What's the news on the track? Is Strip doing okay?"

"Yeah, he's doing fine. He's still awful thankful for what ya did for him during the race, seein' as ya gave up your Piston Cup for him and all." Lighting rolled his eyes as Mack suddenly leaned down on his shocks and whispered loudly, like he was giving away a big secret. "In fact, rumor has it Mister and Missus Weathers are looking for a place to retire. I put in a good word about your little town here; they said they'd come for a visit some time. Check out the scenery and all."

Lightning's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's awesome Mack! I know he'd love it here!"

Mater grinned as the thought ran through his head. "Wow; three _real_ racers livin' here in Radiator Springs! Shoot- think of all the puh-blicity we'll be gettin'! We'll have tons o' customers in no time!"

Aurora stood towards the back of the group, slightly confused. Mater had said three racers; but she only recognized The King and Lightning. Who was the third?… However, she couldn't exactly voice her question, so she tucked the information away for a more appropriate moment.

Mack suddenly jumped, remembering something he had almost forgotten. His shocks creaked as he settled back onto the ground. "Speaking of publicity, I talked to Tony and Junior before I left! They said they'd be around in a few days- they have some other appearances to make, but I gave their drivers directions. You guys'll be boomin' in no time!"

By this time a crowd had gathered around, just about everyone in town hearing that last statement. This was met with various degrees of excitement. Luigi lapsed into Italian as he sped off towards his store, Guido following as they began a fast-spoken Italian conversation. Sarge left to straighten his shelves (and probably mow his lawn again), and Fillmore hurried off to mix more organic fuel.

As the various townscars scattered to prepare for the important visitors, Aurora was once again left. She had no place in the town; while everyone else was doing their activities, she was stuck with nothing to do. She looked a bit dejected as she watched Flo hurry into her café. Lightning and the truck- Mack- continued their conversation. Perhaps it was for the best- she would probably only end up breaking something and making everyone mad at her…

"Young lady; would you mind lending me a tire?"

She turned to see an ancient Model T on an old wooden porch of a building that was apparently selling everything from antiques to bumper stickers. The old car was looking at her and smiling. She honestly didn't know how to respond until she heard someone pull up beside her.

"Go ahead," came Sally's voice as the Porsche gently nudged her side encouragingly. "She's a nice old lady; the worst she can do is slap a bumper sticker on you."

Finally, after several moments of stunned deliberation, the young car nodded slightly.

"She'd be glad to help you Lizzie!" called back Sally as they began to roll towards the small shop. "She's still recovering from an accident, so you'll have to be easy on her." Quieting her voice, she whispered to Aurora, "You'll have to write bigger for her; her eyes aren't all they used to be."

"Oh, that's all right," came the response to the call. "It's just a little dusting."

The light blue car let the light green one drive up onto the porch on her own. "I'll be at the motel if you'll need me, or you could go around to find someone else that needs help. I'm sure we'll be able to keep you busy."

Another slight nod, this one with azure eyes not so… despairing. Sally drove off, smiling to herself as she heard Lizzie begin to ramble.

"It's so nice to see young people like yourself in this small town and so willing to help these days. My husband Stanley- the Manufacturer rest his tires- always helped me get to the top shelves when I couldn't reach them back when the town was in it's heyday back in the forties- or was it the fifties?…"

_To be continued…_

Author's note: Again, big thank you to The Hudson Hornet for helping me out with this chapter. Couldn't have done it without you!


	3. Tractors

Disclaimer: Don't own anyone you'd recognize from the movie.

Author's note: More hugs to The Hudson Hornet for helping me! Dialogue isn't my friend. Anyway, she helped me from when Doc shows up at Ramone's to the Sarge-tractor-Filmore bit. Kudos to you, girl! This time there's an appearance by everyone's favorite fire truck!

_Chapter Four: Tractors_

_Four sets of neon lights turned on as they approached the dozing pair on the road. The leader of the pack grinned as he realized they were sitting ducks, and called back to his fellow gang members. They all laughed and passed the pair, the largest of the four turning down his music until it was almost mute. Simultaneously they changed formation, the music player taking the rear of the group. Now directly in front of the lead drowsy car, he suddenly blared his music, startling the adult and causing him to slam on his brakes…_

_The group of four suddenly U-turned, taking off down the other side of the road and passing by the pair. _

_In the present…_

"Can you reach 'em, Honey?"

"Don't worry Babe; I got 'em!"

With another bump up, Ramone began washing the top windows. Flo watched from below with Aurora beside her. Throughout the town, the inhabitants were preparing for the important guests that were due in two days. Luigi and Guido were busy cleaning their windows and sweeping the floor. Sarge was- yet again- mowing his lawn. Fillmore was trying to coax Lightning to try a new flavor of fuel he had thought up. The racecar himself was looking a bit uncertain, as the concoction was a disturbing shade of green.

"Are you sure you're okay? You get top-heavy when you go that high…"

He waved down at her with the squeegee. "You worry too much; I've done this before! You girls go on ahead to the café; I'll come as soon as I'm done."

"Alright… but you know what happened the last time you tried somethin' like this." The show car and the Camry pulled away from the building, only to meet up with Doc as he pulled in. He nodded to both of them.

"Flo; Aurora. How are the preparations coming along?"

Flo smiled. Of course Doc would keep track of how everyone was doing around town.

"Everything is goin' jus' fine Doc. I'm just waitin' for ol' Ramone over there to get top heavy and fall over before he can finish those windows."

Doc chuckled quietly as he took a quick glance in that direction. And sure enough, as Ramone stretched to reach the higher parts of the window, he began to tilt to the side and just barely caught his balance again. "He does know that Red would be more than happy to reach up there for him right? It would be a lot easier."

Flo nodded and sighed loudly. "Yeah, he knows alright. But being the macho man he is, he wants to prove that he can do it himself. I don't know what to do with him sometimes." Her smile betrayed her tone- despite his faults, she dearly loved the Impala Lowrider, and it showed.

A soft nudge to the side caught Flo's attention and she looked down at the small Camry beside her. Aurora pushed her notepad forward a little so Flo could see it. Azure eyes were focused shyly on the ground as the show car read what was written.

_Do you think Ramone would mind fixing my paint soon? _

Flo smiled slightly before turning to Aurora, the teen's eyes were still focused down and she was scuffing her left tire through the dirt. The young Camry was so shy; it must have taken some time for her to gather the courage to ask. Yet another step in her recovery. Flo was proud.

"Of course 'Aura honey. Ramone would be more than happy to fix your paint up. Just don't let him get too carried away with it; he hasn't gotten a fresh chassis in a looooong time."

A quiet clearing of the throat caused Flo to look back to her left as she remembered their other companion. "And of course if Doc thinks you're well enough now. We don't want to hurt you at all."

Doc chuckled quietly before looking at the light green car before him. "Whenever she's ready, I think Ramone would be more than obliged to help. I had just been trying to keep from laughing at some of the more outrageous paint jobs that Ramone has given himself over the years."

Flo laughed out loud at this comment. "Oh boy, do I remember some of those. How about that one he just had recently- that shocking orange with yellow lightning bolts? Whooo! I couldn't look straight at him without going blind."

Doc smiled lightly. "Yes, well what about the one a few years ago; the sickening green with blue and purple polka dots?"

Aurora's eyes grew wide as Flo began to laugh again; she had never seen these paint jobs, but just the thought of them made her hesitant about the idea of going to see this car and have him work on her.

Doc saw the look in the younger car's eyes and quickly set to settle her. "Don't worry Aurora, Ramone knows better than to do that kind of thing to others. We'll make sure that all he does is a little touch up of your original color unless you say otherwise."

The look of relief that passed over Aurora's face was amusing to Flo as she looked at her little friend.

But then a new sound from nearby caught all three cars' attention; and it sounded something like…

"Oh no. Woah…WOAH!"

A crash.

"Oh no," Flo sighed, "Not again."

In front of the body shop was a very distraught Ramone; lying on his hood with his hydraulic wheels swinging in the air.

"Ramone honey! Are you all right?" Flo yelled as she quickly moved toward him; Doc and Aurora followed close behind.

Ramone was grumbling quietly to himself as the three stopped beside him. "I was jus' about finished too. Gosh darn windows…" The rest was mumbled Spanish that none of them really understood. Which was probably for the best, really…

"Well you know Ramone," Doc grunted as he and Flo both helped to flip Ramone back over after he lowered his hydraulics, "there are easier ways of doing this." The old racecar looked across the road a ways and saw the quiet red fire truck watering some of his flowers outside the station. "Excuse me Red, would you mind coming over here for a second?"

Red looked up quickly and smiled when he saw who called him, before making his way over to the small group. The big truck smiled shyly as he stopped next to Aurora, who in turn did the same as she scuffed her tire again.

Doc smiled slightly before speaking again. "Red, would you mind washing the very top windows up there for us? Ramone can't quite reach them."

Ramone gave the older car a side glare and the enthusiastic fire truck nodded vigorously. In less than a few minutes, Red had the windows sparkling like new.

"Thank you very much Red," Flo said happily. "Stop by the café in a little while and I'll get you something to drink, okay?"

Red nodded and gave Aurora one more shy glance before quickly making his way back to his flowers.

Ramone grumbled something beneath his breath, but the others were sure they had heard the words "windows" and "could of done better" somewhere in the garble. Then, using the glass, checked himself for damage. He sighed at the scuffed paint on his slightly dented side.

Flo moved closer to her husband and nuzzled him a little. "Come on Hun. Let's go get something to drink. With all that hard work I'm sure you're running a little low."

Just as the group was about to move again, they could hear something rumble deeply. Down the road at the beginning of the town, a large cloud of dust was quickly making its way toward them.

"What's going on?" Flo asked, sounding quite concerned.

Aurora's eyes grew a bit as she moved closer to Doc, feeling the familiar dread settle in.

Doc looked around the area, trying to figure out what was happening. Aurora was obviously frightened by the occurrence; not that he could blame her, really. It couldn't be an earthquake, so what could it be?…

Just then, two voices rang out loudly over the drone.

"MATER!"

The returning yell sounded a little bit panicked. "IT WUDN'T ME THIS TIME! AH SWEAR!"

The voices were soon followed by their owners as Mater and Sheriff raced past the group and on through the town.

The four gathered looked down at the ground as they felt it vibrate underneath them. High revved engines and terrified mooing could be heard fast approaching. Flo lowered on her shocks.

"Not again…!"

And then the tractors turned the corner- the whole herd- came barreling straight towards them, heedless of who or whatever might be in their way.

There was a moment of realization- where they all recognized the situation they were in and just how dangerous it was. Their eyes widened as they remained paralyzed, until Doc gave a shout.

"Everyone inside!" Doc yelled as he, Ramone and Flo spun around and hurried into the body shop.

Aurora, on the other hand, was too overwhelmed by the stampede to realize where the others had gone. Just as the tractors reached her, Aurora raced out of the way and across the street, opposite of where the others had gone.

Inside Ramone's shop, the three looked out the windows at the passing herd, watching as they raced by. Almost half of the tractors had gone by before Flo spoke.

"Whew, that was a close one… You alright, 'Aura?"

Several moments of silence passed. When she didn't receive a nudge to signify the smaller car had written something down, she slowly backed up to see the rest of the shop. "… 'Aura?"

When she realized that the Camry wasn't with them, the show car's maternal instincts spiked, driving her into near panic. Her breath quickened and she began to search for any sign of the light green car. "Where- _where is she_?!"

The two males finally realized what Flo had noticed, but the small Camry was nowhere to be seen. Doc looked out the door and saw the coast was clear, so he led the couple back outside to look.

The street had fallen silent again, and there was no sign of anything moving around.

Flo charged out into the street, looking around franticly as she continued her search. She abruptly stopped when she felt something underneath her right front tire. She gasped when she saw what it was.

Ramone quickly drove to her side. There was no sign of the missing girl, and he was worried- she had already survived a nasty crash, but could she survive being caught in a tractor stampede? She was only a kid… "What is it, Babe?"

She looked up from the object, her eyes still wide. "… It's her notepad…"

Down the road, another sound began to pick up. As the three turned, hoping to see their little friend, they were slightly surprised to see Sarge racing toward them at full speed.

"Sarge?" asked Ramone, but was cut off as the old army vet raced past them, yelling over his shoulder.

"Get it away from me!"

Only a few yards behind him, the group backed up as a lone tractor followed the dark green jeep. Close behind it was the familiar colorful shape of Fillmore. His pronounced drawl filled the air as he followed. "Don't worry man! I'ma comin'!"

Meanwhile, the small Camry in question had raced across the diner and onto the street on the other side. Feeling her panic recede a bit, she stopped and caught her breath. The tractors had come out of nowhere- was there a farm nearby?- and had almost hit them. Apparently she had gone a different way than the rest, and now she was separated from them. They were probably safe inside Ramone's shop while the tractors charged along the streets…

She paused.

… Why was she just _sitting_ in the _middle of one_?

This realization came too late, however, as the ground began to tremble more strongly than before and the mooing came from right behind her. Quickly spinning around to face the threat, she saw the whole herd charging, turning a nearby corner as they stampeded.

**Right at her**.

Her eyes widened as panic quickly struck, her shrinking and lowering on her shocks as she gasped. She found herself frozen to the spot; her world reduced to the tractors and the impending collision- quite possibly the last thing she'd ever experience in her soon-to-be short life.

Suddenly something large and red filled her entire line of sight and a moment later a loud sound- sounding something like a horn- blared. The mooing increased for a moment, and then there was a series of other noises- the ones towards the end sounding suspiciously like flatulence.

It was several moments before the terror wore off enough for her to move. She slowly peeked around the massive red to see that it was a huge fire truck that had come to her rescue- the one aptly named Red, from what she remembered. Looking further down the street, she saw the all the tractors- the _whole_ herd- were tipped over, the front wheels of some of them still turning in an attempt to get up.

The fire truck carefully backed up, turning to see the small car. He wanted to make sure she was all right. She had seemingly shrunk into the street, trying to make herself as small as possible. Knowing his size was intimidating to younger vehicles, he gently smiled at her.

"Oh, thank Chrysler!"

The sudden exclamation had startled both of them, and they quickly turned to see an immensely relieved Flo practically fly around the diner, screeching to a stop in front of Aurora.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her engine just beginning to calm from the almost panicked revving it had been doing.

Aurora merely nodded, slowly catching up to the present. The show car nuzzled the girl's right fender in a motherly gesture.

Doc rolled up to Red, this time at a more sedate pace now that the danger had passed. He assumed everyone was unhurt- no one had come to him hollering, so it was appropriate to believe everyone had found somewhere safe to be during the stampede. He would have to talk to Mater, though…

"Good work, Red," he commended. He motioned towards the skid marks that led up to where the fire truck was standing now- he had almost slid in sideways, by the looks of it. "It's a brave thing you did."

The truck blushed and scuffed the road with a tire. It's his job to protect others- he was a fire truck, after all.

After giving him a pat, the Hornet moved to the smaller car. She had gone through two ordeals recently, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. She seemed physically unharmed- she still had the scrapes from the accident- but he was obviously quite shaken; Flo had taken her place at her side, almost as permanent of a fixture as the lifts in his clinic. She had become rather attached to the younger car. Not that he could blame her- she always had that maternal instinct towards others, and the fact that Aurora was still quite young only added to that. It was for the best, perhaps- a mother figure was most likely something the girl needed.

Seeing that everyone was unharmed, he headed off down the street. Now, where was that tow truck?…

_Later that day…_

Aurora sat quietly in Ramone's shop, trying to be as still as possible as the lowrider carefully applied paint to the areas where it had been roughly scraped off earlier. He had been careful to find the exact same color as her original paint. It had taken some looking, but he eventually found it.

He had started on her right side when she began to write something on her notepad. It had gotten a bit beat up after the tractor incident, but was still usable. She let Ramone read it when she finished.

_Flo reminds me of my mom._

He chuckled a bit at that as he continued working. "I'm not surprised. She's a natural at it. She always wanted a baby, but we'd always been so busy with the diner an' my shop, we never really had time for one. An' by the time we _did_ have enough time, the town had pretty much died an' we wouldnt've been able to afford one…" He drifted off, feeling his engine sink a little. He had wanted a baby of his own, to tell the truth- his family had all told him what is was like to be a father, and he had wanted to experience it for himself. To have a baby- a tiny new life that _needed_ him and _depended_ on him and his wife to survive and to grow into an adult- sounded like such a profound feeling, and he could understand why Flo wanted one. Unfortunately, both of them were getting up in years, and they were beginning to think that perhaps they had already passed their time to apply for a child.

"Hey, your mom's probably getting a bit worried about you; it's been, what, three days since your accident?"

This time there was a pause before she continued writing- this time at a slower pace. She then turned it so he could read it.

_She died when I was ten._

The airbrush stopped.

"Oh. I didn't know…"

More writing.

_Interstate pileup. She was in a coma for a month. Dad and I never drove on the Interstate since then._

He honestly didn't know what to say. The girl's mother had been dead for four years, and now she quite possibly had lost her father as well. He couldn't quite imagine it.

"I'm sorry… It must've been hard; I mean, I wouldn't know what I'd do if I lost Flo… I can't even really imagine what it'd be like."

There was a lengthy bit of writing.

_It's like having your world drop out from under you, and you can feel yourself spinning out of control into a dark pit that feels bottomless, and you wonder if you're going to fall through to a light on the other side, or if you'll die first…_

_Or at least that's what it felt like to me._

Wow.

It was hard to imagine that someone so young had to go through something like that. When he thought about it, the way she described it must be pretty accurate when it came to losing someone important- whether it be a mother or a wife…

"'Least you had your dad to help you through it, right? It's not like you were completely alone."

She didn't write a response to this- instead, she sunk a little lower to the floor.

This concerned Ramone, as he continued to paint over the exposed metal. No doubt her father had to go through his own grief, but surely he couldn't just ignore his grieving daughter…

_Later that day…_

Red stood out in front of the fire hall, a gentle spray of water falling from his hose as he watered his flowers. After the tractors had been put back into their field, the cars of Radiator Springs had stopped by to comment on his brave deed. Word got around town fast- within hours even Lizzie had come by with a bit of praise, comparing him to Big Al. The old Model T Ford had thought the world of the past inhabitant of the town, and it was quite a compliment.

Now that the sun was going down, the visits had pretty much stopped. Shadows elongated as the bright orb lowered towards the horizon. The heat of the desert was beginning to fade, and this would be the last time he would water his flowers for the day.

The sound of someone approaching caught his attention, and he turned slightly to see who it was.

It was the girl he had saved earlier, the light green Camry that Flo seemed to have become attached to. She stood looking up at him meekly, a small, potted tailfin flower in front of her. He smiled at her to accept her presence, and she gently nudged the plant towards him. There was a note leaning against the stem. He looked closer to read it.

_Thank you for saving me today. Flo said you liked these._

He smiled at her to show he liked it, She returned it with a slight smile of her own.

_That night…_

The town began to turn in around ten, as it usually did. Flo and Sally had made sure Aurora had settled into her cone nicely, making sure she was comfortable. She had been yawning since nine, but had denied being tired when questioned. Flo had merely smiled when she did this.

It wasn't until her eyes had begun to close did she finally admit she was ready to sleep. The show car had nuzzled her and led her to the Cozy Cone Hotel. She imagined that motherhood was a bit like this, and having Aurora around was the closest she would get to being a mother.

After the door closed, she yawned herself. It had been quite a day, after all. Sally smiled.

"'Night, Flo."

The older car smiled and nodded before heading to the garage she shared with Ramone. Her significant other had said he might be late coming to bed- he was going to see Sheriff about something. She would ask him about it tomorrow; no doubt it was about the little Camry, but it could certainly wait until morning.

Settling into her parking spot, she relaxed, her engine gradually slowing down as she slowly began to doze off.

A noise woke her up, and she peeked one eye open to see a familiar lowrider slowly roll in. He settled down beside her. He seemed a bit troubled, but she wasn't entirely awake and it didn't really sink in. She did notice, however, when he nuzzled her and leaned into her more than he usually did. The show car woke up enough to speak.

"… You feelin' alright?…"

He nuzzled her again. "Yeah. I'm jus'… really glad you're here. With me."

She smiled a bit and closed her eyes. "Me too, Hun. Me too."

_To be continued…_

Author's note: D'awww. I love the Flo/Ramone paring. Next chapter- the important visitors come!… Along with teeming hordes of fans…


	4. Fleet of Fans

Disclaimer: I only own Aurora, her father, and Mina. Ady belongs to The Hudson Hornet.

Author's note: One of these days, I'll be able to write a chapter without Hudson Hornet's help. She wrote most of Ady and Mina's main part, from when they show up to when Ady mentions the "Rolling Down the Mountain" song. Send love her way!

_Chapter Four: Fleet of Fans_

_Being suddenly awoken by blaring music, the lead car slammed on his brakes, the smaller car behind him abruptly running into him. She winced with the crunch of metal that was her front. The return of the four cars on the other side of the road made the male instinctively turn right to avoid them, his momentum still too fast to safely perform the maneuver and being sent fender-over-fender off the road, smashing into various rocks that littered the desert floor. He came to rest on his roof, the large sharp stones having done their damage and left their marks that bled oil on the ground. _

_The younger car hadn't fared much better. Her father's abrupt turn had thrown her to the left, her left rear fender catching the back corner of the last car of the gang as they sped by, immediately spinning her to the left. Much like the larger car, the turn occurred at a speed much too fast and she was sent rolling, at one point her hood striking a rather large rock. Unlike the male, however, she miraculously came to rest on her tires. Oil dribbled to the ground in a slow, small stream from various punctures in her sheet metal. Slowly, painfully, her eyes opened…_

_In the present…_

"Verse two!"

The rusty tow truck stopped in the middle of the street, looking further down the Mother Road. He had been on his way to see how everyone else was in preparing for the visitors, but had stopped when he heard the voices.

There were two of them, and they sounded a lot alike. Oddly enough, they were singing- Mater could see two large vehicles in the distance; one bright orange, the other red.

"She'll be rollin' down the mountain when she comes!"

Then one voice:

"When she comes!"

Then the voices sang together as the pattern repeated:

"She'll be rollin' down the mountain when she comes!"

"When she comes!"

Realization suddenly dawned on Mater, and his hazel eyes widened. "THEY'RE HERE! THE RACIN' GUYS 'R HERE!"

Various inhabitants looked up from what they were doing, surprised by the tow trucks sudden announcement. Meanwhile, the singing continued.

"She'll be rollin' down the mountain- she'll be rollin' down the mountain- she'll be rollin' down the mountain when she comes!"

"When she comes!"

Mack and Lightning joined Mater in the street. His two companions jumped when the massive rig suddenly blared his horn, grinning.

Two horn blasts were returned, and Mack chuckled.

Lightning turned to look at his driver. He found this interaction a bit surprising. "You know these guys?"

He raised a little on his shocks, seemingly with pride. "'Course I do! They're my brothers!"

The racecar felt a bit shocked. Mack had siblings? He never knew! "I didn't know you had brothers!"

The rig gave him a gentle- and very careful- nudge with a tire and chuckled. "Y' never asked!"

The ground rumbled slightly as the two rigs pulled into town, carefully maneuvering and parking their trailers beside Lightning's. By this time most of the town had come out to watch, and had gathered a safe distance away with Sheriff standing the closest, ready should something go wrong. However, everything went fine, and soon the three semis had gathered.

"Baby brother!"

Mack suddenly found himself sandwiched between his two elders. He made an audible "Ack!" noise.

Meanwhile, the doors of the two trailers opened and the racers emerged, stretching a little bit before driving over to join Lightning in front of the Mack trucks.

"Tony, Junior- glad you guys could make it!" the Rust-Eze racer greeted. The two nodded in return.

"Good to be here, Lightnin'," said the red #8.

"It'll be good to slow down for a bit," agreed Tony.

Lightning turned towards Mack, who was still stuck between his brothers. Junior's driver was currently grinding a tire into Mack's side, while the other pinned him down by his back end.

"Umm…"

Tony chuckled. "They're twins- they do this a lot." His dark eyes shifted to the three semis. "Hey, Zack!"

The orange truck diverted his attention from his struggling brothers to the racer. "Yeah Tony?"

"I'll see you at the end of the day."

"Sure thing!"

"Don't be too hard on 'em, Jack!" called Junior's voice from Lightning's left. It was really easy to hear the grin in his voice.

By this time the twins had switched roles, Jack being the one to pin down the Rust-eze hauler by his back end and Zack was now teetering dangerously on almost one side, his front left tire just above Mack's eyes. This proved an effective maneuver, as Mack was swinging his front tires out in a repeated attempt to fight back.

The #8 hauler grinned.

Holding back a very unmanly giggle, the Rust-eze racer turned to follow his companions as they moved further into town. Doc and Sheriff had rolled forward to officially greet the two visitors, as Sheriff was the police force of the town and Doc was the closest thing they had to a mayor.

The next day… 

Junior and Tony left shortly after breakfast, having stayed the night at the Cozy Cone. They had slept well, they assured their hosts, and would definitely be coming back for another visit.

It wasn't until lunch time- when just about everyone had gathered at Flo's for lunch. Mater was contentedly emptying his fuel can when he suddenly heard something- it was very faint, like it had come from a long ways away.

"_Whoo_!…"

"Mater? You feeling okay?"

The tow truck turned his attention to see Lightning- as well as a few other members of the town- looking at him.

"Dadgum, ah think am' hearin' voices!"

"Voices?" spoke up Doc before he backed out of his stall and pulled up beside the rusty vehicle.

"Yeah- from down th' road!" He pulled out of his stall and looked down the Mother Road. Doc followed, as well as a few of the town residents- Sheriff, Sarge, Fillmore, Ramone, Flo, and Lightning. Sheriff was the first to speak.

"Well, I'll be…"

Sure enough, two cars were coming towards the town- one white, the other teal. As they neared, they could better hear a song coming from the teal one- a girl, if the voice was any indication.

"But let me tell you now, there are prices to fame, alright! All of our time spent in flashes of light-eeigh-eeigh-eeight!"

The white car picked up where the other left off- this one apparently female as well. "All you people can't you see, can't you see! How your love's affecting our reality!"

Both were dancing as they drove along, bouncing on their shocks and waving their antennas in the air.

"Customers, everybody!" called Flo, drawing everyone's attention to the sight down the road. Aurora followed Sally, watching the pair curiously. How odd…

"Look!" came the voice of the teal car. "There it is!"

"Mina! Mina Mina Mina! Can you believe it?!" The white female shrieked as she stopped moving and began to bounce up and down on her shocks. "We are now driving on the _same _road as the most handsome car in the whole world!!"

The teal car, Mina, grinned broadly as she too began to hop. "I know! This is so awesome!" She suddenly gasped loudly, gesturing with her antenna towards the group. "Ady! Look! Do you think he's over there?! Oh, he _has_ to be! Promise me you'll catch me if I faint!"

"Hmmm." Lightning listened carefully to the strangers' conversation as they drove nearer. "Racer huh? Well, who else could they mean but me?"

Mater looked at his best friend with a look of confusion. "Uh...wut? Lightnin' don't ya think they might mean-"

"Not now Mater," Lightning interrupted, "I'm about to go make a couple dreams come true."

A rather loud "Ahem!" came from Sally behind him, which went unheeded.

Lightning quickly moved away and Mater's gaze slowly followed. "Well, all right. But I dunno 'bout this."

Lightning pulled up and stopped a few feet away from the two females, both of whom were still too busy squealing in joy and talking too fast to be understood to notice that the racer had pulled up to them.

"Hello there ladies," he said in his low, seductive voice. Sally frowned and was awfully tempted to give him a good kick in the bumper to ruin his act. "Your knight in shining fiberglass has arrived."

Both girls fell silent and snapped their attention to the male, their smiles fading. They both stared at him in stunned silence for a few moments before the white one spoke.

"Um, excuse me sir, but, what?"

Lightning smirked slightly and continued on. "Oh, don't worry girls. Those feelings you're having are completely normal; I bring out things in others that they themselves don't understand."

Sally choked back a snort of laughter, and Aurora gave her an odd look to voice her question. "Inside joke," came the clarification, and the small Camry let it alone.

The two girls exchanged glances again before looking back, both looking shy and uncomfortable.

"Um," the teal one started before gathering her thoughts after a few moments. "Who are you?"

Lightning's smile dropped faster than a fall off of Willie's Butte. "What? I'm Lightning McQueen! The handsome, dreamy racer!"

The white one's gaze turned to one of complete confusion. "Oh, um, w-we weren't talking about you."

Lightning's mouth dropped to the ground. "Then who were you talking about?" he asked in disbelief.

Both girls' eyes lit up as they answered simultaneously.

"Tony Stewcart!"

"Dale Earncar Jr.!"

Lightning's face immediately fell. It wasn't until then that he noticed the number 20 flag on Mina's antennae and the "In Remembrance of Dale Earncar Sr." and #8 decals on Ady's rear window. "Oh."

The group stood in silence for a minute before the girls started to fidget. Sally began to shake with suppressed mirth.

"I'm sorry sir," the white one said, seeming to be the lesser shy of the two, but not by much, "but w-we should get going. Bye."

The two quickly drove around Lightning and began down the road again.

Sally burst out laughing as the racer sunk low on his shocks. Aurora scooted away a little, in case the laughing got hysterical. It was quite a few moments before the Porsche managed to calm enough to speak. "I'm sorry Stickers, but-" She burst out into giggles. "- that's what you get for flirting when you've already got a girlfriend…" She rolled forwards to stop beside the pouting red car as she fought back more giggles.

Lightning didn't move as Mater slowly made his way forward. The tow truck licked his lips before speaking. "I tried to tell ya that I thought they meant-"

"Thanks Mater, but I got the message."

They turned and watched as the excited energy returned to the two females and a camera seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Ady! Tony Stewcart stood right here! Take my picture!"

Minna struck a pose as the camera flashed and Ady started to bounce again. 

"Now me! Cuz Junior stood right _here_!"

The group gave off a collective blink.

Several random pictures later found Mina looking through the lens at a store across the road. It was a tire store, but what caught the teal car's attention was a little blue forklift out front. He was keeping himself busy straightening a pile of tires that would become crooked each time the sign behind them knocked against the top one. Lowering the camera, she watched him and blinked.

"Hellooooo; Earth to Mina! Important Junior-was-here moment going on!"

Finally the white Mazda Probe pulled up beside the teal Pontiac Firebird. She followed her friend's gaze and found the forklift.

"… You _can't_ be serious."

The Pontiac suddenly turned to face her friend as the forklift in question turned to look where he thought he felt he was being watched. "What?"

"He's what; twice your age?" The Probe turned to face her friend.

"Nu-uh!" she retaliated, quieting her voice. "Besides; just because I think he's cute…"

By this time, Luigi had joined Guido out in front of the tires. They both watched the two girls bicker. They had apparently been friends for quite a while and were accustomed to arguments such as these; much like when the Fiat and the forklift argued over the tires. By the end of it they share some chuckles and go back to what they were doing before the argument had started.

Luigi leaned closer to Guido to speak quietly to him. "You know; I had no idea you were such a ladies car."

He merely shrugged his forks. He didn't either.

"Hang on; hold that pose…" said the teal car as she backed up slowly, trying to widen her shot so she could fit a little of the background in as well. The spat seemed to be over, and the girls were back to normal.

"Excuse me ladies."

Mina swung to her right, still looking through her camera lens, and found a very close up face view of an older blue car. Mina gasped and jumped back and almost clung to Ady, whose eyes were several sizes larger now that the older car's attention was now on her as well.

Doc looked at the two closely. He was not only curious as to where the two girls came from, but why they were there in his town. "Can we help you with anything?"

Ady began to stutter quietly for a second before her nervousness caused her to speak very quickly.

"We've been following Tony Stewcart and Dale Earncar Jr. since their last race and we really wanna meet 'em and we heard that they would be passing through here and we hoped to catch up to them here before they left."

Flo came up next to Doc and smiled at the two strangers. "Well I'm sorry girls, but they left this morning. Ya missed them by a few hours."

"Oh man!" Mina cried, obviously disappointed. "I can't believe it! I swear I was still hearing Jack and Zack singing that 'Rollin' Down the Mountain' song when we got here."

"Chrysler, I've heard them sing that song so much that I can't get it outta my head!" Ady said.

Mina paused, listening in the silence. "Wait… I think I hear it right now!"

Sure enough, a hummed version of the lyrics could be heard. The two girls quickly turned towards the source of the sound, only to find Mack nodding his cab a little as he hummed the familiar tune. He didn't stop until he realized everyone was staring at him. He looked back, a little bewildered.

"… What?"

The girls sighed and sunk on their shocks. "Great…"

Flo felt a spike of sympathy for the girls. They must've come so far only to be disappointed…

"When was the last time you girls filled up?"

They both paused and glanced at each other. The Probe was the first to speak.

"Uh… Before we left?" she guessed, shrugging a little.

The showcar shook her front, but smiled. "Comon' girls; you must be runnin' at least a quart low. Let's get ya filled up before ya dry up!"

Mina and Ady again looked at each other, but this time smiled. Some fuel sounded like a great idea…

They followed the seafoam green Motorama to the diner. "This is my V8 Café," she told them. "I serve up some of the best fuel on Route 66, so lemme know what you girls want!"

There were a few moments of silence before Mina quietly spoke.

"Did Tony eat here?"

"Sure did."

A moment's pause.

"… Where did he park?"

"Second stall on the left," came the response as Flo drove into the café.

In the next instant the Pontiac was gone, reappearing in the aforementioned stall and looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Lucky," murmured Ady under her breath.

Flo's front emerged from the building. "Junior was third on the right, Honey."

The next everyone saw of the Mazda she was settled into the stall kitty-corner from her friend, grinning from mirror to mirror.

Once the two visitors ordered, they sat contentedly refueling and various members of the town began to gather around. After all, it wasn't very often cars just randomly came for a visit without being invited.

Among those gathered was Mater, Lightning, Sally, Aurora, Ramone, Flo, Sheriff, Mack, and Doc; the other town residents were tending to their respective businesses. The two girls were apparently beginning to relax a little, growing accustomed to the attention, as they were now telling the story of their trip there.

"Dadgum! You two came all th' way here jus' see them Tony an' Junior fellers?"

Mina nodded as she sipped. "We would have left earlier, but we wanted to finish our sign first," she added after she swallowed.

"Sign? Wut sign?" the tow truck asked curiously. What on Earth would these girls want to make a sign for? Besides an occasional No-Parking-sign-in-the-bathroom-stall joke…

"This one!" Ady reached into one of her compartments and pulled out a folded tag board. Unfolding it, she proudly displayed it to the townscars. The majority of the space was used by bold red letters that read "FIRST ONES HERE! RADIATOR SPRINGS '07". They had decorated it with the emblems of their favorite racing cars, orange "#20"s and red "#8"s spotting the white space, as well as a few "chibi stickers" of the racers here and there. Lightning found it a little bit scary, but other than scooting a little bit closer to Sally he didn't show it.

"We wanted to get a picture of us standing in front of the town sign holding this, but we'll need someone to take the picture for us…"

"First ones here?" the Porsche read aloud, wondering what it meant by that.

"Mmm-hmm," nodded the white Mazda as she folded the sign up again, smiling. "We beat everyone else here by _at least_ a few hours."

Several of the cars glanced at each other. 'Everyone else'? There was more coming?

"Who's this 'everyone else'?" Sheriff asked, voicing the question everyone else wanted to know the answer to.

The teal Pontiac swallowed the sip she had just taken. "The fleet of other Tony and Junior fans in the area that said they were coming. We read on the internet they were planning to head here, so we put our sign together as fast as we could and headed out before everyone else did."

"And it paid off," added Ady. "We don't have to deal with the crowd!"

Earnest smiles began to appear on the residents' faces. Customers? A _fleet_ of them?

"Any guesses on how many?" Doc asked. It was information they all needed; if they're expecting a 'fleet', it would be a good idea to have a rough estimate. Luigi would need to know if he had enough tires, Flo enough fuel, Sally enough space…

The two girls looked at each other and seemed to think. Finally Mina answered. "I… don't think we really know," she shrugged. "A hundred? Maybe?"

It was a guess, but it was the best they had at the moment. About a hundred. Having that many cars in one town was bound to cause more than a few accidents. He had best prepare his clinic…

"Sounds like we've got work to do before they get here, then. I'll be in my clinic."

Ady drained her can and moved to dispose of it, moving back to her stall to wait for her friend to finish hers. "What should we do now?" she asked her.

Mina shrugged. "I dunno." She tipped her can a little so the fuel would collect in one spot. "Maybe we could do some souvenir shopping?"

"Lizzie has a wide selection of bumper stickers in her curio shop," offered Sally.

"An' if you girls want, I can paint some decals on you. Anything you want; Ramone's got it!" came an offer from the Impala Lowrider.

The two females looked at each other, grins forming on their fronts.

"Decals first?" asked the Firebird.

"Oh yeah!" came the response.

Ramone chuckled. "Shop's across the street; I'll go get it set up while y' finish."

Flo chuckled as she watched the two eagerly follow her husband. He'd gladly take any excuse to use his paints that came his way. Shifting her gaze, her green eyes settled on the small Camry who sat quietly beside her. It seemed that with all the excitement, Aurora's presence had been momentarily forgotten. And with the large group of customers on the way the showcar would have a hard time keeping up with the demand in the café, and the poor girl might begin to feel ignored. Perhaps there was a way to solve both problems…

"Say 'Aura… if Doc gave us the okay, would you be willin' to give me a tire here at the café? With all these customers coming I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up."

It seemed like it was hardly a moment before she nodded, eager to help out. Flo smiled and gave the girl a nudge. "Let's go bug Doc then!"

_A few hours later…_

The first of the fleet arrived around five in the afternoon. Mina and Ady, after stopping by most of the shops, had acquired painted decals, new bumper stickers- Mina's being "Caution: I brake for no apparent reason" and Ady's "I'm not speeding- I'm qualifying!"- and had now settled for an early dinner at Flo's. They had taken their customary stalls- having quickly made "TONY/JUNIOR PARKED HERE!" signs to hold while getting a picture taken of them in said stalls- after having their picture taken by Flo up at the town billboard. They waved at the newcomers, thinking '_We beat you! We beat you!_' behind their smiles.

The first small group of cars that arrived proved to be the sprinkle before the storm, there being just enough room for everyone in the Cozy Cone that night. Aurora, however, had to be moved to a small garage in the back of Ramone and Flo's- the same garage Sally stayed in when she first arrived. The change worked for the best- Flo was glad to have Aurora nearby, and Doc was pleased that it brought her closer to the clinic, in case the injuries from her accident flared up.

The town awoke bright and early the next day, accompanied by a swarm of visitors that arrived in sporadic bursts. Flo was kept perpetually busy taking and filling orders, while Aurora helped with clean up and occasionally delivered an order or two. It was the busiest anyone had seen it in forty years.

And frankly, they were loving it.

Fillmore seemed to have made friends with a group of teenage boys, made obvious by the sound of "Dude! This stuff is _awesome_!" coming from the tasting area. Red's flowers were admired and he beamed with pride. Lizzie's bumper stickers were rapidly depleting, and new tires were beginning to show up on rims everywhere.

Things began to slow down as the day drew to a close, some of the visitors heading to the Cozy Cone, or back to Phoenix when they discovered that the hotel was full. Still others- including Ady and Mina- left to return home. Radiator Springs was beginning to return to normalcy- at least for the night.

Flo gathered the empty cans left by the last customers, singing along with the song playing on the speakers overhead.

"Because you can't catch me; no baby you can't catch me!..."

She quieted as she entered the building and deposited the cans in their proper place. However, once the clanking of the tumbling cans ceased, she could still hear the song; not just from the speakers, but from somewhere- some_one_- else. Blinking, she turned towards the source of the noise to see Aurora stacking cans on a shelf, nodding her front… and _humming_.

It took the showcar a few moments to absorb this. This was the young car that showed up, damaged and unconscious, and hadn't said a word- rather, had been practically silent. And here she was, six days later, actually using her vocal chords and humming. _Actually making noise_.

The biggest smile appeared on her front and she abruptly nuzzled the teen, thrilled beyond belief. "Oh 'Aura, honey- you're _humming_!"

The Camry blinked, a little stunned at the sudden display of affection and the showcar's excitement.

"That's the most noise I've heard you make! I'm so proud of ya!"

The smile was slow to appear, but gradually the azure eyes brightened a little and she returned the nuzzle. Her eyes closed for a few moments as she seemed to eagerly soak up the affection. Her throat was getting a little sore, but perhaps, if she kept on warming up her voice, she would be able to speak…

_To be continued…_

Author's note: I lost the notes I had made for each chapter, so it might be a little bit before I can start the next chapter. In other news, I'm pretty sure we're at least halfway through the story- maybe even over that- so things should start picking up chapter after next. If I remember correctly, that is.


	5. Hurt

Disclaimer: If you recognize them from the movie, I don't own them.

Author's note: Interesting piece. More of Aurora's back story comes out. And more of Flo acting like a mother hen. Enjoy.

_Chapter Five: Hurt_

_Her eyes struggled to focus as she blinked them open, wincing in pain at the damage that had been done. It seemed she couldn't quite register the accident, as though it had happened so quickly she wasn't quite sure what had transpired. Her headlights still on and functioning, she slowly rolled forward and onto the road, clearly struggling with pain as she did._

_At first, she didn't recognize the odd form on the other side of the road, until she realized it could only be the car she had been traveling with. For- what seemed like to her- an indeterminable amount of time she could only stand there in mute horror, staring at her father and the oil that was collecting under him. _

_Then she abruptly turned towards the way they had been going, driving as fast as she could with her injuries, leaving behind her a trail of oil._

_In the present…_

"Almost done…"

With a metallic _pop_, the small dent came out and the apparatus came off.

"There. See? That wasn't so bad."

The small purple car hesitantly opened one eye, glancing at his rear-view mirror to see that the doctor hadn't lied- the dent was indeed gone, and the procedure hadn't hurt one bit. He opened the other eye.

"See honey?" came the voice of his red mother beside him. "Nothing to it."

"Thank you, Dr. Hudson," said the blue car as he turned to face the Hornet.

"Just doing my job," came the reply as the dark blue car escorted the family out of his clinic.

"T'ank you!" came the little boy's echoing call as they pulled out, the child waving an antenna before they moved further down the street. Doc merely smiled at this; it had been quite a while since he's had a child in his clinic, and he found he didn't really mind when the kid had been afraid of a simple dent removal.

The customer rush lasted for a grand total of three days. It was winding down now that it was towards the end of the third day; only a few cones were occupied, and Flo's was only half full as opposed to the jam-packed it had been. Many cars were already heading back for home.

At the Cozy Cone, Sally was pleased to find that the car that had driven into the lobby was none other than Lightning McQueen. She smiled at him.

"Hey Stickers!"

"Working hard?" he asked as she pulled out from behind the desk.

"Slowing down tonight; only three cones are being used."

He nodded in agreement. "I noticed. Seems like Flo's is emptier too." He seemed to run out of things to say, and the conversation waned at that point. He tapped a tire- nervously?- before speaking again.

"Hey Sally… would you… ah… have time for a drive tonight?"

The smile that slowly spread on her front was a familiar one, as he had seen it before- most notably, after he tried to escape Radiator Springs, only to run out of gas and roll to a stop just past the billboard. It usually meant that she was up to something; and Ford, he loved that smile…

"Of course. Come by again at eight and we'll go."

He grinned. "Great! See you then."

_A few hours later…_

A few customers were still milling about, two of them at Flo's with some town residents- Lightning, Luigi, Guido, Fillmore, and Sarge. The army jeep was telling of his exploits to the two customers, two boys who were riveted to the story. Even Fillmore listened in, even though he had probably heard them before. Flo was inside, bringing another order for the small group out while Aurora stacked cans inside. She had been humming intermittently throughout the day, exercising her vocal cords so they would someday be usable.

"Here ya go, boys!" announced Flo as she put the order in front of the gathering. But other than a nod she was given almost no heed. She couldn't help but to chuckle; it seemed as though Sarge rather liked the attention he was getting. Well, she wasn't about to take that away from him.

"Hey Flo?" asked Lightning after he drained his can. "What time is it?"

The showcar peered through the windows of her café to look at the clock on the wall. "Just 'bout eight 'o clock."

The red racecar seemed a little surprised at this, then thanked her and quickly left, heading for the Cozy Cone.

With a knowing smile, she returned to the café building. Aurora was in mid-yawn as the Motorama girl pulled up beside her; it hadn't gone unnoticed, as she gave the Camry a gentle nudge and a smile. Usually the girl got tired around nine or ten; it was early for her yet. Then again, she _had_ been driving between the café and the curio shop frequently throughout the past three days or so, so her being tired so soon shouldn't really be a surprise. "Gettin' tired?"

A nod in response. Her frame was aching a bit as well, but with how much she had been running around she was more or less expecting it.

"Let's get ya to bed, then." Surely the café would be fine without her for a few minutes…

They pulled out of the building and headed down the street, pulling around the house to get to the door in the back. It was a small room, but big enough for a car- the same room Sally had stayed in when she first arrived. The space hadn't had an occupant since then; Flo rather liked having someone stay there, as it felt to her that they were being taken care of.

Flo opened the door and the Camry pulled in, lowering on her shocks as she settled down to sleep. She received a nuzzle from the showcar and she smiled sleepily in response before closing her eyes.

Flo waited until she was sure the girl was asleep before backing up, closing the door as she left.

_An hour later…_

Lightning and Sally were unaware they were being watched as they pulled up to the Cozy Cone lobby, driving side by side until they neared, when Sally turned to pull in backwards. She stopped when she was about halfway in, facing the race car. She couldn't help but to smile at the doofy grin plastered on his front.

"You know, people are going to stare at you if you keep smiling like that."

"Heh. Yeah. I know."

Well, if it didn't bother him… "I had a great time tonight. We should do that again sometime."

"Name your time and I'll be there!"

She just chuckled. He couldn't _really_ be that easy to wrap around her axle, was he? She pulled forward to give him a kiss on the fender before backing into the lobby. "Goodnight!"

With the idiotic grin still in place, he backed up to turn to the street. He only got halfway before a voice came from behind him, startling him.

"I sawd that!"

He jumped a little and quickly turned to see the familiar buck-toothed grin belonging to Mater. "GAH! Don't do that!"

The tow truck laughed as his tow cable wagged, almost like the tail of a dog. "Gittin' cozy at the cone again; is we?" he teased.

"No!" came the denial as he felt his front grow a little warm. "Besides, we went up to the Wheel Well."

"Ooooooooh!" came the response, and Lightning felt the urge to utter the phrase "oh no" at the tone it held. "So yew two were jus' all alone up there, jus' a snugglin'?"

The refute was made on impulse. "We just kissed-!" He realized it a moment too late. He might as well have handed his friend a loaded gun.

The grin that appeared was huge. "Ah HAH! I knowed it!" He began to drive circles around the racer- backwards, of course. "McQueen an' Sally; parked b'neath a tree! K-I-S… uh…" he paused, still not quite sure on the spelling of that particular word. "… somethin'-somethin'-P!"

Lightning felt his hood get even warmer. He hoped the noisy truck wouldn't end up waking up Sally's patrons… "Mater! Mater, enough! You'll wake somebody up!"

He stopped as he whipped around to face his friend again. "So yew two are datin'? Fer reals now?"

"I guess." Or at least he earnestly hoped that's what that meant- he certainly wouldn't mind a repeat date…

"Let's go tuh Flo's fer drinks!" Without giving the red car time to respond, the tow hook whipped out and caught his rear axle, yanking him around to cart him away. An initial "gyah!" at the feel of the hook was the only reaction he was allowed before being dragged off.

_The next morning…_

The few remaining customers left, but had assured their hosts they had a wonderful time and would for sure be planning another trip in the future. Sally had a really good feeling about this flood- the general reaction to the town was positive, and she felt sure that the word would spread. Radiator Springs would be back on its tires again in no time.

It was almost ten in the morning; Red was out watering his flowers, Sheriff was out behind the billboard, Doc, Guido, and Luigi were at Flo's, and Mater…well, no one really knew what Mater was up to, but were sure they didn't want any part of it.

Ramone pulled into his wife's café as she gave Doc his usual can of premium- he had been busy during the usual breakfast time when one of the customers' belts slipped and he spotted other potential problems while he was fixing it. The lowrider rolled up beside her, addressing both cars at the same time. "Anyone seen 'Aura? Was gonna fix that scratch on 'er fender, but I dunno where she is." A little mishap with a stack of cans at the diner had resulted in a long scratch down her left rear fender, and he assured her he'd fix it in the morning. But it was hard to fix a scratch when the car was nowhere to be found.

Flo thought for a moment. "Now that ya mention it… haven't seen her at all today."

Doc shook his front. "Neither have I. Maybe she's off with Lightning and Mater again?"

"Lightning's over with Mack, talking about the plans for the new headquarters, I think,' came Sally's voice as the Porsche pulled in. "Not sure about Mater, though. Looking for them?"

"Sally, have you seen 'Aura at all this mornin'?" asked Flo, now becoming concerned. "She didn't come for breakfast…" She looked around, hoping to catch sight of the pale green car, but her hopes went unheeded.

"Sorry; can't say I have. Sheriff might have, though; he gets up pretty early," she suggested. "I'll go ask Lightning and Mack; one of them might have seen her." With that she drove around and through one of the stalls, heading back out into the street.

Ramone gave Flo a nuzzle. It was easy to see her "mommy instincts" were on yellow alert, telling her that something just wasn't right. He didn't like to see her fret like this. "Sheriff might know somethin'; I'll go talk to 'im. We're gonna find 'er, okay?" He gave her side a reassuring pat once she nodded before he pulled out to head down Route 66.

Guido suddenly spoke up, a long string of Italian that only Luigi could understand. The Fiat listened carefully before translating for his friend.

"Guido is-a right; are we sure she isn't just still sleeping?"

Flo felt like giving herself a good whack with her own tire. Of course! Usually the girl got up on her own and would meet everyone at the diner, so she hadn't thought that she could possibly still be in the spare garage. What if the door was jammed and wouldn't open? She could have been trapped inside for hours!

Her train of thought wasn't helping her maternal instincts any, and it showed as she quickly left, heading for the house she shared with Ramone. She barely remembered to slow down when she went to drive around the house, just barely missing the fence for the two turns. Right away she tried to open the door, which- thankfully- moved as smoothly as it was supposed to. So the door wasn't stuck…

Aurora was exactly as the showcar had left her, nestled down on her shocks with her eyes closed, steadily breathing. She was still sleeping, which would explain why she missed breakfast.

But the sight of the Camry didn't reassure Flo any. Those instincts were still telling her something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't place what it was. The girl seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough… But for fourteen hours?

She rolled closer. Surely the girl would have been up by now; she hadn't showed any other night-owl tendencies since she had arrived. It just wasn't normal…

It wasn't until she got a little closer that she noticed the heat waves radiating off of her pale green body. Which was odd, considering the room was still quite cool, being a part of the house. Gently, she put a tire on the girl's side. She was burning up; her fever must have showed up during the night and was now at its peak.

"'Aura? 'Aura honey, wake up…"

The words did their job, and the azure eyes cracked open, only to have her flinch and almost recoil at the light besieging them. A groan escaped her throat; her aching frame had only gotten worse over the night, and the movement hadn't helped.

The cool tire moved from her side to her front fender. "Sweetie, you're burnin' up… Feel sick?"

She fought back a wince at the jolt in her frame as she nodded a little. The ability to speak would have been really helpful at this point…

"Doc's at the café…" The tire was replaced with a gentle kiss. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Once she received another nod, Flo scooted out from behind the house, quickly returning to her diner. Her instincts were more or less placated at this point, although now she just worried for the girl's health. Could her illness be a delayed side effect of her accident? Or was it a chronic illness she's had all her life?

The moment he heard Flo calling for him, Doc knew it wasn't good. He abandoned his almost-empty can and met her on the other side of the café. She wasn't as keyed up as she had been minutes ago, but there was still something worrying her. "What is it? Did you find Aurora?"

"Found her alright… Been sleepin' for fourteen hours, and got a fever. Not feelin' good either."

The Hornet absorbed this before nodding. "I'll pick some things up from my clinic first. I'll be at your place in a few minutes."

With a nod she hurried back to the house, not wanting to leave Aurora alone for very long.

_A few minutes later…_

The Camry was shivering a little when he arrived; Flo had taken a cover and had thrown it over the girl to keep her warm. She was nestled beside the girl, partially to comfort her and- he suspected- partially to settle her own nerves.

First, he checked over where the injuries she had received from her accident had been, making sure there wasn't something he missed that had caused an infection. He would have preferred to do this in his clinic, as he would have been able to get around easier than he would in a small room, but the girl obviously wasn't up to moving, and who knew where Mater was… not that having the truck tow her to the clinic would be any easier on her.

_Swear to Chrysler- if he's out causing another stampede…_

Next he popped open her hood to get a look inside and to check all her hose connections. It would be easier to diagnose if he asked her some questions… but she couldn't talk, and he didn't want her moving her front while he was checking under her hood. A bit of a dilemma…

"I'm gonna ask you some questions, alright? One tire tap for yes, two for no, okay?"

_Tap_

"Feel cold?"

_Tap_

"Frame aching?"

_Tap_

Chills and body aches; normal for an average illness… "Keeping your fuel down?"

_Tap_

"Feel up to a can?"

_Tap tap_

"Any pain behind your eyes?"

_Tap tap_

"Tank hurt?"

A pause.

_Tap tap_

"How about your exhaust; does that feel okay?"

_Tap_

Hmmm… "Did you first feel these symptoms when you woke up this morning?"

_Tap tap_

"Last night?"

_Tap_

"Get sick like this often?"

_Tap tap_

Doc thought about this for a little bit as he checked a few more hoses. None of her internal systems seemed to be malfunctioning or damaged, which was definitely a good thing. He carefully shut her hood.

"I think she's fighting off a bug; probably picked it up from one of the customers. Should be gone within a few days. Let her get lots of rest and give her a little fuel once in a while- just straight gasoline. Her fever's high but not threatening. I'll check it again every few hours to make sure it doesn't get much higher."

Flo smiled gratefully at the ex-racer before directing her attention to the young car, throwing the cover over her. "Dontcha worry, honey- we'll take good care of you," she assured the girl as she tucked the covering in around her, giving her a nuzzle for comfort.

The young teen nestled back down onto the sleeping pad, pulling the cover tighter around herself as she sank into the cushion. She was still pretty tired, after all.

_Throughout the day…_

She slept on and off during the day; the door to the room had been left open, both for the fresh air and for the heat that would help keep her warm. Doc did indeed come by again to retake her temperature, only to discover that it hadn't changed. This neither pleased nor disappointed him- it just meant she wasn't done fighting it off yet.

Not too long after that Ramone came with a can of fuel to check up on her. She wasn't feeling much better at that point; she still ached, but didn't feel as cold thanks to the heat outside. She took a few sips from the can; the fuel was staying in her tank, so that was one less thing to worry about.

Mater came a little while later- just as she was about to doze off again- bringing with him a flower from Red, who was too shy to bring it himself. The flower made her smile, at least. Mater stayed to talk, mostly telling her about what had happened so far that day. He had spent some time fishing that morning, then he went to go see what Lightning was up to, then watched the racer practice with Doc for a bit, then he and Sally went back to Flo's diner for lunch. On the way there they talked about Aurora being ill, Red overhearing and giving them a flower to give her. They were just finishing up their lunch when Ramone stopped by to pick up a can for her. Sally went to go check on Lightning's practice while Mater headed over to visit.

He was just beginning to tell her all the things they could do when she got better when Flo chased him out, telling him she had left a can out at the diner that he should bring to Lightning. Glad to be helpful, he sped away.

Flo had brought another cover, in case she got cold during the night. Aurora had been awake for a good two hours or so by this time, and was definitely feeling it. The showcar could tell, and settled down beside the ill girl to help keep her warm. She was a little surprised when she asked for a story, but happily obliged with the tale of how she and Ramone had met and fell in love. The distraction was a welcome one; once the story was over the Camry was half asleep, and the showcar stayed beside her until she finally dozed off.

_Time passes…_

Her next waking moments were swallowed in a haze of fever that made everything muddled. She had no strength to move, but managed to open her eyes enough to see, even though everything seemed to be a dream. She could hear voices and occasionally see familiar cars, but interacting with them was out of the question.

"… fever's spiked… too high…" came a voice sounding like Doc's.

Pale green filled her vision and she felt someone poking around her engine. She shivered; she was still cold despite how hot she felt. Something between a groan and a whimper escaped her at the throb the movement sent down her frame.

Someone gave her a nuzzle, and she felt a cooler body beside her own. She leaned against them, seeking the comfort as Flo's voice came from nearby.

"… gotta do something…"

"… Mater… to the clinic…" came what was apparently Doc's reply.

"… needs a hospital?... no way… afford it…" came another worried voice- Ramone's?- as she was given another nuzzle.

"… try my best…"

Her vision swam, and she next awoke to a sudden blast of cold that surrounded her, making her cough and choke when her gasp made her inhale something other than air. For a moment she was very much awake, acutely aware of the heat and the cold and her aching frame, as well as a dull throbbing pain in the middle of her undercarriage. Her shivering became more intense as the cold settled in. Someone moved beside her and she instinctively huddled closer to them for comfort, groaning at how miserable she felt.

"You're gonna be okay," came the voice she would later recognize as the lowrider's. "We'll be right 'ere…"

Time passes… 

The light wasn't nearly as bright this time, although she still squinted when she tried to open her eyes. The first thing she could recognize was that she was in Doc's clinic again, resting on a lift with her tires hanging freely not even a foot off the floor. She didn't feel as hot or cold as she last remembered. The throbbing in her undercarriage was numbed.

Azure eyes looked around. To her right, light streamed in from the windows- morning? To her left…

She instantly recognized the two cars that were nestled beside each other. The showcar and the lowrider were sleeping, leaning against each other a little in their slumber. How long had they been waiting for her?...

_Meanwhile…_

"Mornin' Doc; what brings you here?"

The Hudson Hornet nodded in greeting to the Mustang. "Sheriff, how far along are we with Aurora's case?"

"Not very, I'm afraid. By the way, how is she?"

Doc sighed. "It was a long night, but I think she'll be okay with the antibiotics. Having Red hose her down helped keep her from overheating. Found the infection before it got too serious; she'll have to take it easy for a bit yet, but should be able to get around later today. What about the details of her case? What do we have?"

A pause. "Still don't feel right to you, does it?"

A quick shake of his front. "No. It doesn't. Still haven't figured out why she can't talk. There's no physical reason why she can't, and she's mentally sound. It just doesn't make sense."

Sheriff's front suddenly lifted, a thought occurring to him. "Think her father might have somethin' to do with it?"

A blue eyeshield lowered. "Her father?"

The police cruiser pulled out a file from his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Ramone came t' me the night after he fixed her paint. Told me he found out her mom had been dead for four years an' he had told her that at least she had her dad there to help her through it."

"And her answer?"

An antenna tapped the paper. "She didn't. But he said her reaction gave 'im the impression that he had been anythin' but helpful."

Doc's blue eyes narrowed in thought. "In other words, she and her father don't have that great of a relationship. Doesn't solve the riddle, though. What else do you got?"

Sheriff scanned the page. "Not much. Mom's deceased, dad's… unknown. She was travelin' with him when the accident occurred. All she remembers is loud music from jus' before the crash."

He frowned a little at that. It wasn't much, but it just might be enough. "Thanks. I'd best get back to the clinic; Flo and Ramone ended up staying the night while they were waiting for news."

The cruiser couldn't help but to smile at that bit of news. He really wasn't surprised- considering that it _was_ Flo they were taking about- as it had seemed to him that the showcar had adopted the girl shortly after her arrival. Ramone, despite his macho exterior, was as much of a mother helo as his wife. And from what he had seen of the evening before, the feelings were very much mutual. "Well, she's got someone to take of her, at least. I'll let you know if anything new comes in."

Doc nodded his thanks, then pulled out of the police station to return to his clinic. He smiled when he noticed that Aurora was awake and alert. He remembered to keep his voice down, keeping in mind the sleeping couple nearby. "Well, good to see you're up… How you feelin'? Better?"

She slowly nodded, surprised that the movement didn't hurt as much as she had thought it would.

The Hornet rolled closer, still keeping his voice quiet. "You had us all worried for a while there. I risked having Mater tow you here after your fever spiked so I could inspect you more thoroughly. Ends up all that running you did between Flo's and Lizzie's these past few days displaced one of my repairs and it got infected. Gave you a dose of antibiotics and patched it up again. Won't be able to go very fast very far, but you should be on your tires again later today. Actually, I think I'll take you on a little test run to the Butte when you're feelin' up to it."

Aurora merely nodded. She trusted Doc- sure, he was grumpy sometimes, but he was a good guy. He was always looking out for everyone else and wanted what was best for them. She wasn't about to doubt his judgment.

_That afternoon…_

The track was empty, unlike the last time she had been there. Without a certain red race car zipping along the dirt, it almost seemed lonely.

"How's the repairs holding up?" asked the Hornet sitting beside her.

She only nodded. She felt a lot better than she had been, and her fever had gone around noon. Doc had taken her out to the Butte, and it hadn't really hurt her undercarriage at all. So she was on the mend; an announcement Flo and Ramone were happy to hear.

"Good. Take it easy for a few days. You'll need to take the antibiotics for a few more days to be on the safe side. But other than that, you'll be alright."

She merely nodded to signal she had heard and understood what he had said.

Doc watched her as she sat quietly beside him on the ledge, his blue eyes careful and calculating, trying to determine if it was the right time. The mystery would have to be solved at some point or another, and the sooner the better in his opinion. She seemed pretty calm and relaxed at that particular moment; perhaps now, on her tenth day of being in Radiator Springs, it was time to get to the bottom of it.

"Y'know," he began, "in all my years of practice, I've run into quite a few medical mysteries. But none have had me more stumped than the case of a girl that couldn't talk."

She sunk low on her shocks. She knew he was talking about her.

"I checked everything. No deformities, so nothing physical that was keeping her from speaking. Mentally sharp as a tack and sound, so nothing there could be the problem. So that leads me to believe that something else is cause of her strange silence."

Her undercarriage was practically touching the ground now, her trying to disappear to escape the situation. Her eyes were downcast. It wasn't a topic she liked to discuss, apparently, and it showed.

When she didn't make an attempt to write anything in way of an explanation, he continued, albeit tentatively, as he had very little proof of what he was about to guess.

"... Is your father a part of it?"

She visibly tried to shrink. Bingo.

Various possibilities raced though his mind. Abuse? Not physical, as he hadn't seen any proof of it. Perhaps she had seen him hurt someone else- her mother, maybe- and had threatened her to keep quiet about it. Maybe her mother's death hadn't been an accident at all...

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But it'll feel better once you get it off your hood."

He had learned that one after Lightning had caught him racing along Willie's Butte. When he left his garage, he had been angry- very much so- but once he had cooled down, he had felt lighter, like someone had taken a bag of bricks off of his roof. He had told someone- that was what had made the difference. Now if only he had convinced her of that...

It was several moments before she began to write, and it was a lengthy process- he had to wait at least a few minutes, and that was quite a wait when you were eager to learn the answer to a problem that had left you puzzled for days on end. Finally, she slid her writing pad over towards him. Fluid had built up into her eyes.

_Dad always spoke harshly. Appropriate language was never a barrier for him. Not in front of Mom, and never in front of me. My earliest memory was of him yelling at her because she didn't bring him the right fuel. We could never do anything right. I remember Mom telling me to never use my beautiful voice like he used his. But since his was the example I heard most often, I thought that was the only way to speak. So I never learned. _

_When I started school, the teachers got worried when I refused to talk. They called conferences with my parents. He'd always be civil while we were there, but as soon as we got home the yelling would start. Said he didn't want his daughter to be called retarded, and that I had better start talking. He'd always go to a bar for the night afterwards. _

So it _was_ abuse. Not physical, but the other kinds: emotional, mental, and verbal. Sometimes those could be worse than the former. Often times, it led to suicide. How much longer would she have been able to live like that before deciding to end it all?...

And on top of that, her father was apparently a gasalcoholic. What she and her mother must have lived though...

_It didn't get any better as time went on. Some of my teachers thought they could help fix the problem by not giving me participation points for not saying anything in the class discussions. I almost failed a few classes because of it. It only made him worse. I didn't have any friends I could turn to, because I never talked to anyone. I tried writing notes to other kids, but they all thought I was stupid and would just throw them away. I could only turn to Mom. And when she died, it was like he lost someone he could yell at, so it was all focused on me. No one understood me. _

He absorbed this, piecing it all together. Not only did this explain why she was silent, but why she was so shy and timid as well. He would have to give the notebook to Sheriff; there was no way he would be able to retell it all accurately- not like she had.

He slid the notepad back to her. "Did he ever hit you or your mom?"

More writing, this time much shorter than the last.

_No. He threatened to, though. _

"Flo tells me you've been humming lately. Does that mean you like it here?"

She scuffed a tire on the sand, still with tears in her eyes. However, he did get the vague impression that her demeanor had lightened somewhat. She jotted down her answer.

_I've been practicing by mouthing some words while nobody's looking. _

So she's been considering learning how to speak. She really has been better off here. Flo and Ramone have given her a lot of love since her arrival; they'd been like foster parents to her from day one. Without a doubt, their efforts were having a big effect on her. Perhaps she even considered them her parents by this point. But there was still one roadblock... A very touchy one. He hesitated to ask her what he was about to.

"... Does a part of you hope your dad died in that accident?"

The tears finally broke free, leaving tracks down her hood. After several moments of unsuccessfully trying to keep them at bay, she merely nodded her front a little.

She must feel so horrible- it wasn't very often a child would wish something like that on a parent, especially when it was the only one she has. She felt so guilty, and he could only imagine how much moreso if her father actually did die.

It wasn't until after he became a doctor did Doc Hudson begin to feel the fatherly pull in his engine- when he realized that cars _depended_ on him for their well-being and security as doctor and judge. He then also learned that sometimes his patients needed to be healed in more than physical terms; a lesson strongly set in when it came to treating Sarge. Sometimes they needed more than a physician.

Backing up, he turned to face the distraught girl. He assumed now was one of those times. He reached a tire out towards her. "It's okay to let it out," he told her gently.

She needed no second bidding, it seemed, as in the next instant she had reversed, turning towards the old Hornet and moving forward to quietly cry against his side. He said nothing as she hiccuped and her tears wet his side. He would have to return her to Ramone and Flo sooner or later, but he'd prefer she'd be at least relatively calm when he did so. And if the pair got impatient before then, they knew where they had gone and would come look. He would stay put for as long as the girl would need him to.

_A short time later..._

The lowrider and the showcar sat quietly at the diner, awaiting the return of Doc and Aurora. Even though the prognosis had been positive, Flo still worried about the small Camry and her well-being. Ramone merely offered her a reassuring smile. He knew how she got when she was worried; he didn't like to see her like that, but only the girl's return would ease her now.

Their attention was quickly diverted when they heard two engines approaching, both of them pulling forward a bit. Just as they were expecting, the dark blue Hornet and the pale green Camry pulled into the diner, the smaller of the two moving to join them while the doctor stopped a short distance away.

It wasn't long before they realized not all was okay with the girl- dust had collected where her hood was wet, suspiciously starting underneath her eyes. Doc's words that followed certainly didn't help.

"I'll need to see both of you at Sheriff's in ten minutes. Best let her rest for now."

Flo nuzzled the girl, noticing her writing pad was gone. She and Ramone glanced worriedly at each other as the Hornet drove away. What was going on?...

_Meanwhile..._

The diner in Nevada had been pretty slow the past few hours; occasionally a guest or two would trickle in for a quick refuel before returning to the road- most of which were Piston Cup fans returning from a tiny town called Radiator Springs. As it was, less than half of the stalls were being used, and those who weren't focused on their drinks were docilely sipping while watching the news on the televisions above. The anchorman, a shiny orange Ford, glanced down at the papers on the desk before moving on to the next story. A picture- apparently a photograph, as it showed a family- appeared beside him.

"_In other news today, the search begins for fourteen-year-old Aurora Thortenson, who was last seen west-bound on Route 66 eleven days ago. She was traveling with her father, thirty-five year old Joshua Thortenson, when they were separated due to an accident. Mr. Thortenson, recently released from the hospital, has asked anyone that has any information about his daughter's whereabouts to call the number being displayed on the bottom of your screen as soon as possible." _

A red SUV paused his intake of fuel, blinking at the picture. He squinted a little, trying to get a closer look at the girl in the photo. "Hey... I think I've seen her..."

_To be continued..._

Author's note: Done without The Hudson Hornet's help. Mommy, WOW! I'm a big kid now!

And the title of this chapter came from listening to a Johnny Cash song of the same title. Because Johnny kicks much arse.


End file.
